Still have stomach issues

Shamanic Herbalist

So for a while now I have not been able to ingest traditional kava I have been getting by with kava candies and CO2 extract. (Which do not bother my stomach) I was diagnosed with a wheat allergy and ever since I've stopped eating wheat my stomach issues have gotten better but still haven't completely disappeared and every time I seem to drink traditional kava it bothers my stomach in the same way as when I eat wheat. If anyone has any suggestions that would be great .otherwise I just hope to God I can consume traditional kava again one day as I love it so much. Oh also for anyone interested I have 8 oz of an unopened bag of kava Supreme and quite a lot left of 8oz opened bag of Solomon from Root of Happiness basically just looking for a trade for some type of concentrate or candies thank you

Kava Lover

So for a while now I have not been able to ingest traditional kava I have been getting by with kava candies and CO2 extract. (Which do not bother my stomach) I was diagnosed with a wheat allergy and ever since I've stopped eating wheat my stomach issues have gotten better but still haven't completely disappeared and every time I seem to drink traditional kava it bothers my stomach in the same way as when I eat wheat. If anyone has any suggestions that would be great .otherwise I just hope to God I can consume traditional kava again one day as I love it so much. Oh also for anyone interested I have 8 oz of an unopened bag of kava Supreme and quite a lot left avidyne outs opened bag of Solomon from Root of Happiness basically just looking for a trade for some type of concentrate or candies thank you

I wonder if your GI system needs time to heal. I feel you on the gut issues. I had terrible problems for years and ended up being extremely lactose intolerant and not good with simple carbs. Hope your kava days will come sooner rather than later. Another idea is try something lighter and make it weak and see how you do.

Kava Curious

So for a while now I have not been able to ingest traditional kava I have been getting by with kava candies and CO2 extract. (Which do not bother my stomach) I was diagnosed with a wheat allergy and ever since I've stopped eating wheat my stomach issues have gotten better but still haven't completely disappeared and every time I seem to drink traditional kava it bothers my stomach in the same way as when I eat wheat. If anyone has any suggestions that would be great .otherwise I just hope to God I can consume traditional kava again one day as I love it so much. Oh also for anyone interested I have 8 oz of an unopened bag of kava Supreme and quite a lot left avidyne outs opened bag of Solomon from Root of Happiness basically just looking for a trade for some type of concentrate or candies thank you

I also have a wheat sensitivity. The best thing that helps me even be able to do Kava at all is to acidify my stomach. As we age, our stomachs loose the ability to keep up with stomach acid production. I swear that Kava also whisks away my stomach acid or uses it up. So I always drink lemon juice before, during and after a kava session. This helps me break down the kavalactones and re acidifies my stomach so I can eat after. For me I always do 3T of Kava and about 3-4 oz of lemon juice [via a shot glass to by pass my teeth]. The symptoms of low stomach acid aka hypochlorhydria are vast, and include dietary allergies [like gluten]. You might even fix your gluten problem with increased stomach acid. Lots of stuff acidifies the stomach, lemon juice is the cheapest. But you can also try cider vinegar, kombucha, Betain HCI pills, ox bile, or Super Enzymes. Also wine is one of the best and most ancient ways to help acidify the stomach. I don't like to drink booze to close to a kava session though. So what happens if you drink the medium grind Kava? When my stomach acid is really low I feel a painful lump of air punch up to top part of my stomach, into my esophagus. As soon as I drink lemon juice, I'll burp up the painful "lump" of air. That's what happens, cuz food, kava or whatever is just sitting in my gut rotting and it creates air that has to be burped up. I also get a strange heartburn [or inflammation] at the 3-4 hour mark as undigested food makes its way into my intestines.

Shamanic Herbalist

I also have a wheat sensitivity. The best thing that helps me even be able to do Kava at all is to acidify my stomach. As we age, our stomachs loose the ability to keep up with stomach acid production. I swear that Kava also whisks away my stomach acid or uses it up. So I always drink lemon juice before, during and after a kava session. This helps me break down the kavalactones and re acidifies my stomach so I can eat after. For me I always do 3T of Kava and about 3-4 oz of lemon juice [via a shot glass to by pass my teeth]. The symptoms of low stomach acid aka hypochlorhydria are vast, and include dietary allergies [like gluten]. You might even fix your gluten problem with increased stomach acid. Lots of stuff acidifies the stomach, lemon juice is the cheapest. But you can also try cider vinegar, kombucha, Betain HCI pills, ox bile, or Super Enzymes. Also wine is one of the best and most ancient ways to help acidify the stomach. I don't like to drink booze to close to a kava session though. So what happens if you drink the medium grind Kava? When my stomach acid is really low I feel a painful lump of air punch up to top part of my stomach, into my esophagus. As soon as I drink lemon juice, I'll burp up the painful "lump" of air. That's what happens, cuz food, kava or whatever is just sitting in my gut rotting and it creates air that has to be burped up. I also get a strange heartburn [or inflammation] at the 3-4 hour mark as undigested food makes its way into my intestines.

Well first of all thank you very much for giving me a helpful hints on making more acid in my stomach I will definitely try that and when I drink kava my lower right side beneath my ribs and on the right side of my stomach either hurts just feels Wicked uncomfortable or feels like it's being clenched. I've gone through multiple tests at my doctor and they cannot tell what it is. I got a helpful hint also from the piper and when I do start drinking medium grind again I'll probably mostly drink Hawaiian cuz apparently that also is light on the stomach.

Shamanic Herbalist

Shamanic Herbalist

I wonder if your GI system needs time to heal. I feel you on the gut issues. I had terrible problems for years and ended up being extremely lactose intolerant and not good with simple carbs. Hope your kava days will come sooner rather than later. Another idea is try something lighter and make it weak and see how you do.

Shamanic Herbalist

I also have a wheat sensitivity. The best thing that helps me even be able to do Kava at all is to acidify my stomach. As we age, our stomachs loose the ability to keep up with stomach acid production. I swear that Kava also whisks away my stomach acid or uses it up. So I always drink lemon juice before, during and after a kava session. This helps me break down the kavalactones and re acidifies my stomach so I can eat after. For me I always do 3T of Kava and about 3-4 oz of lemon juice [via a shot glass to by pass my teeth]. The symptoms of low stomach acid aka hypochlorhydria are vast, and include dietary allergies [like gluten]. You might even fix your gluten problem with increased stomach acid. Lots of stuff acidifies the stomach, lemon juice is the cheapest. But you can also try cider vinegar, kombucha, Betain HCI pills, ox bile, or Super Enzymes. Also wine is one of the best and most ancient ways to help acidify the stomach. I don't like to drink booze to close to a kava session though. So what happens if you drink the medium grind Kava? When my stomach acid is really low I feel a painful lump of air punch up to top part of my stomach, into my esophagus. As soon as I drink lemon juice, I'll burp up the painful "lump" of air. That's what happens, cuz food, kava or whatever is just sitting in my gut rotting and it creates air that has to be burped up. I also get a strange heartburn [or inflammation] at the 3-4 hour mark as undigested food makes its way into my intestines.

Kava Curious

Sometimes I buy or make instant. Its definitely more gentle on the stomach. But I always hear people warning us not to use it cuz its not the "traditional" way to do it and it might be hard on the liver. I don't feel the effects from it as much as I do the traditional prep method though. I even tried smoking and vaping it, only to get a strange panicked feeling for a short time. The craziest thing I did was do an enema with 3T of medium grind once. I felt no cerebral effects and just got a real "heavy" body feeling from it. I will make an instant if I buy a strain and its hard on me. It costs too much these days to not use it all up somehow.

Kava Curious

By the way I'm wrong about cider vinegar and lemon juice being acidic. They are acidic outside the body, but in the stomach they turn alkaline. Although I think it takes some time for the body to convert it over. I still think these react with the kava before it turns alkaline as I drink the lemon juice as a chaser after a shell of Kava. Probably the best thing to do is the Betain HCI caps [just one of the 648mg caps by NOW brand].

Kava Lover

Sometimes I buy or make instant. Its definitely more gentle on the stomach. But I always hear people warning us not to use it cuz its not the "traditional" way to do it and it might be hard on the liver. I don't feel the effects from it as much as I do the traditional prep method though. I even tried smoking and vaping it, only to get a strange panicked feeling for a short time. The craziest thing I did was do an enema with 3T of medium grind once. I felt no cerebral effects and just got a real "heavy" body feeling from it. I will make an instant if I buy a strain and its hard on me. It costs too much these days to not use it all up somehow.

Kava Enthusiast

Sometimes I buy or make instant. Its definitely more gentle on the stomach. But I always hear people warning us not to use it cuz its not the "traditional" way to do it and it might be hard on the liver. I don't feel the effects from it as much as I do the traditional prep method though. I even tried smoking and vaping it, only to get a strange panicked feeling for a short time. The craziest thing I did was do an enema with 3T of medium grind once. I felt no cerebral effects and just got a real "heavy" body feeling from it. I will make an instant if I buy a strain and its hard on me. It costs too much these days to not use it all up somehow.

Kava Curious

I didn't see this mentioned, but if you haven't it may be worth giving a finer strainer a try. Particulate matter can build up in the grey with medium prep and a coarser strainer.

Another thing that helps stomach issues a bit is both decanting your grog so you leave behind the bottom layer that's just bits of dirt and other crap, and while you're drinking it, don't drink the last sip of each shell. The majority of indigestible matter sinks straight to the bottom of the shell after a few seconds, so you can avoid it pretty easily.

Kava Enthusiast

Well first of all thank you very much for giving me a helpful hints on making more acid in my stomach I will definitely try that and when I drink kava my lower right side beneath my ribs and on the right side of my stomach either hurts just feels Wicked uncomfortable or feels like it's being clenched. I've gone through multiple tests at my doctor and they cannot tell what it is. I got a helpful hint also from the piper and when I do start drinking medium grind again I'll probably mostly drink Hawaiian cuz apparently that also is light on the stomach.

You’re issue is on the right side under the ribs? This is gastritis buddy. Inflammation of the gut. It’s common and can be crippling and brutal to heal. I’ve been dealing with this for a while. That clenching feeling sucks, it almost stings or burns. But when you feel for it with your hands it’s not there. Is this sounding right?

Kava Curious

Hey I remember you in another thread talking about Lemon Balm. I grew some last year, dried it out and made a potent tea. I have to say I was surprised how potent of a relaxer it was. I fell asleep in a chair when I drank it. I have pretty bad insomnia and will probably start to use this to relax. I bought some from my health food store and it was totally weak compared to the stuff in my garden. Is all lemon balm the same?

Shamanic Herbalist

I didn't see this mentioned, but if you haven't it may be worth giving a finer strainer a try. Particulate matter can build up in the grey with medium prep and a coarser strainer.

Another thing that helps stomach issues a bit is both decanting your grog so you leave behind the bottom layer that's just bits of dirt and other crap, and while you're drinking it, don't drink the last sip of each shell. The majority of indigestible matter sinks straight to the bottom of the shell after a few seconds, so you can avoid it pretty easily.

Shamanic Herbalist

Hey I remember you in another thread talking about Lemon Balm. I grew some last year, dried it out and made a potent tea. I have to say I was surprised how potent of a relaxer it was. I fell asleep in a chair when I drank it. I have pretty bad insomnia and will probably start to use this to relax. I bought some from my health food store and it was totally weak compared to the stuff in my garden. Is all lemon balm the same?

Shamanic Herbalist

You’re issue is on the right side under the ribs? This is gastritis buddy. Inflammation of the gut. It’s common and can be crippling and brutal to heal. I’ve been dealing with this for a while. That clenching feeling sucks, it almost stings or burns. But when you feel for it with your hands it’s not there. Is this sounding right?

Yes it is sounding familiar. I think I'll be able to drink traditional soon enough I think I'm almost done healing. Thank you for giving me other things to look into. I've been eating relatively healthier and no wheat and I've felt alot better.

Kava Lover

Sometimes I buy or make instant. Its definitely more gentle on the stomach. But I always hear people warning us not to use it cuz its not the "traditional" way to do it and it might be hard on the liver. I don't feel the effects from it as much as I do the traditional prep method though. I even tried smoking and vaping it, only to get a strange panicked feeling for a short time. The craziest thing I did was do an enema with 3T of medium grind once. I felt no cerebral effects and just got a real "heavy" body feeling from it. I will make an instant if I buy a strain and its hard on me. It costs too much these days to not use it all up somehow.

Ahhhh, yeah nobody is claiming instant is hard on the liver. Instant is traditionally prepared and then dehydrated - it is just expensive. If you are willing to pay for the convenience go for it. I think you are confusing most members reluctance to use extracts versus traditional prep not instant.